Legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, expressed sheer amazement at the Artemis II mission launch this week. The 96-year-old space pioneer watched the spacecraft lift off on Wednesday and declared it a pivotal moment, repeatedly urging NASA to “occupy Mars.”
Aldrin’s Enthusiasm for NASA’s Return to the Moon
Steven Barber, a 65-year-old documentary filmmaker and longtime friend of Aldrin, described the astronaut’s spirited reaction. “Buzz has been in high spirits all week, glued to the NASA feed on his TV,” Barber stated. “He’s absolutely amazed that NASA incorporated many of his long-standing ideas. He’s giddy and keeps saying, ‘Now it’s time to occupy Mars!'”
Aldrin gained iconic status as the second human to step onto the lunar surface during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, following Neil Armstrong. Artemis II marks NASA’s first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo program’s final flight in December 1972.
“To see NASA return to the moon decades after he and Armstrong first landed fills Buzz with joy,” Barber added. “He said, ‘This is fantastic. They are following in our footsteps. It is long overdue.'”
Recovery from Heartbreak
Aldrin faced profound grief last October when his fourth wife, Dr. Anca Faur, 66, passed away after a battle with aggressive cancer. Friends worried for his health as he struggled, refusing to eat and questioning how to go on without her, the love of his life.
Barber recounted, “Many of us feared for him. He lay on his bed, life seemingly draining away. We thought he might succumb to a broken heart.” However, Aldrin’s resilience prevailed. His family relocated him to a scenic home overlooking the Pacific Ocean last December, complete with round-the-clock nursing care.
“He’s a fighter from a generation that never quits,” Barber noted. “The new environment and care have reignited his spark. He’s learning to laugh and smile again, with his sense of humor fully returned.”
A Storied Personal Journey
Aldrin’s path to fame included challenges. During Apollo 11, he was married to Joan Archer, mother of his three children—sons James and Andrew, and daughter Janice—but the union ended after 20 years amid his struggles with alcoholism and personal issues.
In his memoir Return to Earth, Aldrin reflected on post-mission depression: “I was one of the most famous men on the planet, but the mission ended. The acclaim faded, and I sank into deep depression, seeking solace in alcohol.” Subsequent marriages to Beverly Van Zile (ending 1978) and Lois Driggs Cannon (ending 2012) followed.
Barber credits Aldrin with transforming his own life. They met at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in 2001. “I was a severe alcoholic ready to leave, but seeing Buzz convinced me to stay,” Barber said. Their friendship led Barber to fund the Apollo 11 bronze monument “The Eagle Has Landed” outside Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
“Buzz represents universal recognition—from London to Beijing to Nepal’s mountains, everyone knows his name,” Barber emphasized. “He wants the world to know he’s doing well.”
